The present invention relates to a new and improved transport system or installation for use in spinning preparation for transporting laps from a first machine to a second machine by means of carriers or supports which are movable along transport rails located above head height, the laps carried by the transport rails being located at a greater height above the ground than the laps deposited at the lap transfer locations of the machines, and a carrier rail movable in the vertical direction being provided for the carriers at each lap transfer location.
From German Published Pat. No. 1,288,490, published Jan. 30, 1969 a system is known in which lap carriers travel along an endless transport path at a predetermined mutual spacing from one another. The laps to be transferred to the lap carriers are lifted and grasped by the continually moving lap carriers. The laps can only be transferred individually and transported at the same mutual spacing. This system does not permit simultaneous delivery of a group of laps. Return of empty bobbin tubes by the transport system is also not possible. Rather, the empty bobbin tubes must be returned by a special transport system.
German Utility Model No. 7,424,750 relates to a device which also has an endless transport belt for automatic transport of laps. In this case, the lap carriers and empty package carriers which are separate from the lap carriers travel along the transport belt. In this device also a plurality of laps cannot be delivered simultaneously nor can a plurality of bobbin tubes be carried away simultaneously.
Japanese Patent Specification No. 47-46852 teaches a system in which a plurality of lap carriers are passed simultaneously to a transport rail by means of a carrier rail. This transport rail does not form a closed circulation path, so that the lap carriers must be returned along the same path on which they were delivered to a machine. Thus, freedom in transporting the carriers is reduced. Also, the carriers have no means or facility serving for return of empty bobbin tubes. Accordingly, with this transport system or installation also special means serving for the latter purpose must be provided.